Night time here can be a very lonely time, not that there aren't some truly amazing simple moments as well. Events like learning to make a new Gambian dish can be quite entertaining for the hands on value and bringing life back to the basics.
I find myself reading a lot more than ever before. Being an IT volunteer I am always trying to think of ways we can use computer technology to enhance learning. I was pleased to run across a book from 1996 entitled "Designing Multimedia Environments for Children." It gave a lot of history and theory explanations on many of the products I enjoyed as a child: Kids Pix, Hypercard, LivingBooks, Carmen Sandiego, and How Things Work, to name a few. Case studies from the book were strongest when talking about multimedia in an interdisciplinary usage in schools. For example, having students in their science class learn to research with books, draw on the computer, then program a simple hypercard stack to present their total work. Makes me wonder if people are doing similar things today with the iLife suite (movies, audio recordings, slideshows...)
At any rate the reading gave me a renewed familiarity of technology's ability to aid and inspire, rather than be confined to another subject one has to learn. I will do my best to incorporate these notions during my time here.
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Once you have actually seen a chicken running around with its head cut off, you truly understand where the phrase came from.
After years of avoidance I think I might finally be learning how to interact with kids. Not just on the fun side, but also parenting. Being a small part in my host chilldrens' lives, I am supposed to take a certain level of responsibility in teaching them discipline and manners. Gives a whole new perspective on the joy and hardship of parenting. To that end, thanks mom and dad, seems like you did a swell job.
2 comments:
I hope that somewhere iLife and similar software is being taught to our kids. I'd love to see some real new media work from kids involving stuff like Comic Life.
If I've learned anything in my New Media class is that anyone can learn these things, and develop themselves quickly, it helps foster creativity in a lot of kids.
I still remember using QBasic to do all kinds of fun things like ASCII art and such, and I'm sure lots of other kids did likewise!
hey Todd -
Regarding what you said about relating to kids and parenting, I have a relevant anecdote for ya: my family has always had pet dogs, but I've never been responsible for their care and raising. Well, on Friday (just a few days ago), I found a little puppy in the gutter by the US Embassy on Kairaba Avenue. By most accounts, she's about four weeks old. I've adopted her and have been raising her, hopefully to become a well adjusted, friendly dog and companion. She's still drinking milk, and I have to feed her several times a day, and really be responsible for everything about her well-being. I'm at GTTI right now working, and she's sleeping in a pail beside my chair. When she wakes up during classes and starts barking and whining to go out, I really feel like a parent dealing with their baby; it's cute. You can meet her if you like - her name's Rhythm.
Take it easy -
Matt
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